Dispenser



Sept13, 193s. F. E. SMITH 2,129,971

' DISPENSER Fil ed March 26, 1957- 6; mg I Patented Sept. 13, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,129,971 DISPENSER Frederick E. Smith, San Ileandro, Calif.

Application March 26, 1937, Serial No. 133,226 2 Claims. (01. 221-23) This invention relates to devices in which cans, or other sealed containers, holding pourable material may be inserted to function as servers from which the contents of the canor container may be dispensed.

It is an object of the invention to provide a device of the character described which will, upon insertion of the can thereinto, automatically open the can and thereafter prevent the contents of 16 the can becoming contaminated by dust or by germ-laden insects.

Another object of the invention is to provide a dispenser in which a substantial portion of the can is exposed after the lid is raised, so as to permit the user to firmly grasp the can to remove the latter from the dispenser.

Still'another object of the invention is to provide a novel manner of mounting a tubular spout on such a dispenser so as to provide a spout having the maximum of rigidity and therefore'will not, due to rough handling, be liable to leak at the usual soldered joints where it is attached to the dispenser.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some of which, together with the foregoing, will be specifically set forth in the specification hereunto annexed. It is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the particular species thereof shown and described as various other embodiments thereof may be employed within the scope of the appended claims.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a View partly in vertical section, and partly in side elevation, showing the dispenser of my invention.

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view of the dispenser with the can removed. The plane in which the View is taken is indicated by the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

In detail, the dispenser comprises a tubular body 3 having, at its lower end, a flared skirt 5 provided with 2. rolled rim 6, and spaced from its upper end, with a peripheral bead I. The body is provided with a closed bottom comprising a plate 8 having a peripheral flange 9 which is preferably soldered to the inner surface of the body so as to retain the bottom 8 in position therein. A tubular pouring spout I I composed preferably of Monel metal, or other non-corrosive material, is disposed in a vertical position outside of the body 3 and is formed at its lower end with a U-shaped bend I2 and an upwardly extending portion I3. This bottom portion of the pouring spout passes through apertures formed in the skirt and the plate 8 and is preferably soldered thereto. The

spout is assembled on the body by passing the portion I3 horizontally through the skirt aperture, swinging the spout so that the portion I3 points downwardly, again swinging the spout so that the portion I3 points upwardly, and then inserting the plate 8 from the top of the body 3 and moving the plate downwardly axially of the body until the spout portion I3 enters the aperture provided therefor in the plate. The soldering of the spout to the plate 8 and skirt 4 and the flange 9 to the body 3 may then be done.

Thejupper end of the spout portion I3 is cut on a bias so as to provide a point I4 which, when a can I6 containing fluid I1 is placed within the body 3 and pressed downwardly, will puncture the can bottom I8 and allow the fluid to flow from the can into the spout from whence it may be poured by tilting the dispenser. To provide a fluid-tight connection between the spout and the can at the point where the spout pierces the can bottom, a gasket I9 is provided surrounding the spout portion I3 and extending around the periphery of the bottom plate 8. This gasket is composed of rubber or other resilient material such as leather or cork. The large ring portion of the gasket which extends around the periphery of the bottom plate is provided to form a resilient seat engaging the top rim of the can so that no tilting of the latter may occur which would prevent proper sealing of the spout to the can bottom. It will be noted that the upper end of the can projects a considerable distance above the top of the dispenser body 3. This is done so that the user may readily grasp the can to remove it from the dispenser when the can is empty.

Closing the upper end of the dispenser body 3 is a cover 2I having around its edge a rolled rim 22 which engages the bead I of the body 3 so as to limit the degree of telescopic engagement of the cover and the body. A handle 23 is provided at its opposite ends with fiat portions 24, which are preferably soldered to the body 3, and at its top with a substantially horizontal portion 26 having upwardly extending lugs 21 rising from the opposite edges thereof. Each of these lugs is apertured to receive and retain a pivot pin 28 upon which is journaled the downwardly directed apertured flanges 29 of a hinge arm 3| suitable rigidly secured to the cover 2 I. This structure provides a hinge for the cover so that the latter may be swung upwardly to uncover the upper end of the body 3 or lowered to telescope thereover and close it. Secured, opposite the handle 23, to the body 3, by rivets 32 is a spring arm 33 having a depression 34 therein in which the rim 22 of the cover is engaged and an extension 36 by means of which the arm 33 may be manually flexed outwardly from the body 3 so as to free the rim 22 and allow the cover to be raised. The lower end of the arm 33 is provided with an extension 31 having at its extreme end an arcuately shaped saddle 38 which engages and is preferably soldered to the spout H so as to increase the lateral stability of the latter.

The cover is provided, in the top thereof adjacent the hinge, with a tubular punch 39 having a pointed lower end 4| which pierces the top end 42 of the can when the cover 2| is closed so as to provide an air vent for the can, and with'a handle 43 Whose attachment rivet 44 secures-to the cover one end of a spring arm the opposite end of which bears against the can top 42 and presses the can into firm engagement with the gasket IS. The punch 39, since it is liable to come in contact with the fluid I! in the can, is preferably made of Monel metal or other noncorrosive material.

The dispenser of my invention just described is, due to its relatively few simple parts, capable of being produced to retail at a very economical price, is sturdily constructed to withstand abnormal abuse, is, due to the feature of the body being shorter than the over-all length of the can, superior to prior dispensers of this character for the reason that the can can be readily grasped to effect its removal from the dispenser, and, by the provision of the novel spout mounting, is less likely to cause annoyance due to loosening of the spout or leakage of fluid from the dispenser.

I claim:

1. A dispenser adapted to enclose a container, having pourable material therein, comprising a tubular body surrounding said container and being of. lesser length than the container whereby a material portion of the latter projects from said body,'a cover provided with a marginal bead movably mounted on said body to enclose the portion of said container projecting therefrom,

a bottom plate in said body and positioned adjacent an end of said container, a tubular spout mounted on and entering said body through said bottom plate, said spout having a pointed end thereon for piercing the end of said container positioned adjacent said bottom plate to provide communication between the interior of the container and said spout, a resilient gasket disposed between the end of said container and said bottom plate and surrounding a portion of said spout, resilient means carried by said cover for urging the end of said container against said gasket, a resilient member secured to said body having a portion thereof overlying the head of said cover to releasably maintain the latter in position on said tubular body, and an integral extended portion of said resilient member secured to said spout,

2. A dispenser adapted to enclose a container, having pourable material therein, comprising a tubular body surrounding said container and being of lesser length than the container whereby a material portion of the latter projects from said body, a cover provided with a marginal bead movably mounted on said body to enclose the portion of said container'projecting therefrom, a bottom plate in said body and positioned adjacent an end of said container, a tubular spout mounted on and entering said body through said bottom plate, said spout having a pointed end thereon for piercing the end of said container positioned adjacent said bottom plate to provide communication between the interior of the container and said spout, a resilient gasket disposed between the end of said container and said bottom plate and surrounding a portion of said spout, a substantially U-shaped resilient member secured at one end to said cover and contacting, at the other end, an end of said container to urge the opposite end of the container against said gasket, and a strip of flexible material secured medially of its ends to said body, one end of said strip having a portion thereof bent to overlie the head of said cover and the other end of said strip being secured to said spout.

FREDERICK E. SMITH. 

